Yellow Mountain Enterprises is an adult day vocational program and operates under the umbrella of Avery Association for Exceptional Citizens. AAEC is a 501-C3 Non-profit organization for developmentally disabled adults. AAEC also operates the Avery County Group Home, an adult supervised living facility.

Yellow Mountain Activities That Support Our Community

Education:

Our consumers spend part of each in the classroom taking compensatory education classes. The instructors come to us from the local community college. We also provide one-on-one educational activities for math Reading, computer skills and specialty areas as needed.

Independent Living Skills:

Many of our consumers wish to learn skills to be able to better care for themselves. We provide opportunities to develop personal grooming, hygiene and social skills, take cooking classes, learn to do laundry, do basic housekeeping chores, and manage personal finances. We also provide links to other services, such as health care and transportation, to help our consumers provide for their own needs.

Work Opportunities:

All consumers who attend Yellow Mountain Enterprises are gainfully employed for part of the day. We provide a wide variety of choices for their workday; while many work outside the agency through the help of supported employment and job coaching, all work on-site as well. Below is a description of our work activities through which the consumers earn their bi-weekly paychecks:

Thrift Store:

The Yellow Mountain Thrift Store receives donations of clothing, household items, books, furniture, and odds and ends. These things are sorted, cleaned and displayed in the store by consumers who also serve as clerks between the hours of 10 AM and 3 PM Monday through Friday.

Trophy Production:

Engraved trophies, plaques and medallions is a large segment of the vocational program at YME. Staff takes the orders and consumers construct the items according to a sketch. This business has grown over the years, with many repeat customers.

Bow-Making:

Hand made bows for holidays are a specialty of Yellow Mountain Enterprises. Consumers produce Christmas bows for standing orders for Christmas tree growers, bows for retail sales to the general public, and seasonal bows for local businesses and government decorations. The bow business is also a large income producer and we are looking into adding football team and college colors for next holiday season.